Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion constituency and Leader of the Green Party, has called on the new Coalition Government to ‘think again' on plans to speed up the introduction of school ‘City Academies' -with legislation expected before the summer holidays.

Policies for City Academies effectively take the schools out of local education authority control, leaving parents and staff with little say over how they are run, said Caroline.

Speaking at a meeting last night (Wednesday 16 June) organised to highlight concerns about proposals for another Academy in the city of Brighton and Hove, at Portslade Community College, Caroline made the case that the decision over Portslade would affect education provision across the city.

She appealed to the new Government to ‘think again' before allowing schools to apply for Academy status without consulting parents, staff or students.

She said, "New Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove is planning to introduce legislation before the summer holidays that may well result in significant numbers of our schools becoming academies.

"Under the Government's proposals, schools could become Academies without any real consultation with pupils, parents, school staff or the local authority.

"A board of governors will be able to decide if a school should become an Academy and then they could just announce it.

"All those people with an active and very real interest in the future of the school can be by passed and their concerns just overlooked."

She urged a rethink before any more schools in the city become Academies and said that there was no evidence that academies by themselves improve performance. .

"The priority has got to be the best possible local education for our children," she said, "but the evidence suggests, time and again, that academies are at best a distraction, and at worst, they undermine that aim"

"Yes, the national curriculum is not perfect. Yes, teachers need greater flexibility and teaching should be focussed on genuine learning and achievement rather that jumping through hoops and ticking boxes.

"But giving away control of the curriculum to a private business which may have absolutely no educational expertise at all - Is that really the best way to raise standards?

"I think that properly funded state schools can best help meet their and all our young people's educational needs, not schools where the balance sheet takes precedence over a balanced curriculum."

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information please contact Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.